Do you’ve an thought for an digital product, the following must-have gadget, music or video system, time saver, or best problem-solving machine that was ever invented? Even when you’ve got the electronics product design experience obtainable, there are a selection of duties that you could full and points that you could resolve earlier than you’ve an precise product design that may be produced, marketed, and bought. After getting accomplished a product specification doc and a advertising and marketing research, you ought to be ready to have the product pcb design service and packaging design processes begun so {that a} prototype unit could be assembled and examined.
One of many first decisions that should be made within the electronics design is which microprocessor or microcontroller structure might be utilized in case your product thought requires processing functionality. Most microprocessor or microcontroller gadgets can be found in quite a lot of configurations of inside reminiscence sizes with some together with non-volatile Flash reminiscence for program storage, amount and kinds of enter and output pins, package deal varieties for floor mount or through-hole functions, clock speeds, and interfaces which might be supported by the processor with out having so as to add extra gadgets.
As soon as a microprocessor or microcontroller household is chosen, extra choices should be made on which system clock frequency to make use of, how a lot processor and system reminiscence might be required for the appliance, and the way the software program growth processes are to be supported. The selection of processor structure should contemplate the obtainable software program growth and testing instruments and the software program design sources that might be required to your product’s software program/firmware design. Extra choices should be made on how the software program/firmware might be loaded into the processor’s reminiscence in the course of the manufacturing course of. Will the design permit the completed product to just accept subject or consumer initiated software program/firmware upgrades, or will the product be a one-time programmable unit?
Earlier than the processor portion of the design is accomplished, you could additionally outline which kinds of interfaces to exterior methods might be required (serial port, parallel port, USB, Ethernet, wi-fi connection equivalent to 802.11x or Bluetooth, infrared, and so on.) and the minimal interface bandwidth charges required. All of those components will play a task in selecting one of the best processor product to make use of in your design utility. Some microprocessor/microcontroller product examples which you could analysis are the MicroChip PAL collection and the household of merchandise from Atmel as each of those suppliers present some very highly effective however low price processor options.
Digital elements, together with microprocessors and microcontrollers, are usually obtainable in each floor mount and through-hole variations. Some digital elements could also be obtainable in just one format (equivalent to some transformers, relays, capacitors, energy resistors, or connectors being obtainable solely in through-hole packages). Floor mount elements are most well-liked for any quantity degree manufacturing as they’re often inexpensive to buy, extra available, and permit for extra compact printed circuit board designs because the elements take up a lot much less area and could be utilized to either side of the board if obligatory. Utilizing floor mount know-how might permit the printed circuit board design to make use of a smaller measurement and/or fewer layers, thus decreasing uncooked board prices. Nevertheless, floor mount elements could make in-house meeting and soldering troublesome if not not possible when you would not have the right tools and experience.
The finished design will embody an influence provide part that can present the voltage and present ranges required by the design’s elements. Enter energy choices might embody plugging the unit right into a 120 VAC outlet and changing the AC voltage to the suitable regulated DC voltage ranges internally as a part of the ability provide design. You can additionally select to make use of an exterior energy adapter that converts 120 VAC to a DC voltage degree after which regulates this incoming DC voltage degree to the extent required by the design. A 3rd possibility could be to have the product powered by batteries. In case your product is to be battery powered, along with defining the battery know-how and the variety of amp hours of energy storage within the batteries, you also needs to contemplate if a chargeable battery design or an finish consumer replaceable battery design is finest for the product utility and pricing.
As soon as the electronics design and the printed circuit board design are accomplished, the mechanical packaging and exterior enclosure designs could be finalized and the preliminary software program growth could be accomplished. Now it’s time to have a prototype unit assembled and examined and choices should be made concerning the manufacturing of the preliminary prototype items. Selections embody ordering the entire elements and assembling the prototype product in-house when you’ve got the meeting experience, subcontracting the prototyping course of to a home contract electronics manufacturing firm, or subcontracting the prototyping course of to a contract electronics manufacturing firm situated off shore. For those who would not have the experience or tools to correctly assemble the prototype items, it is best to put together a listing of corporations who can assist your prototyping and manufacturing wants and start the method of figuring out your finest choices.
Along with figuring out who will assemble the prototype items, you also needs to be figuring out which possibility you’ll use for manufacturing the manufacturing items. Selections embody manufacturing the items your self, contracting the meeting of the items externally with a home, or contracting the meeting of the items with an off shore electronics manufacturing service supplier. For those who plan to make use of an exterior manufacturing supply, contemplate that some corporations focus on low quantity specialty assemblies, equivalent to prototype items or preliminary manufacturing, however are usually not in a position to cheaply assist excessive quantity manufacturing ranges resulting from capability limitations. Different corporations are within the reverse spectrum and specialize solely in excessive quantity ranges. The amount of items that might be excessive quantity manufacturing out of your viewpoint is probably not massive sufficient to elicit any curiosity a strictly excessive quantity producer. You also needs to contemplate supply instances from receipt of your buy order as a think about selecting an out of doors meeting supply.
One other vital issue to contemplate on this means of evaluating electronics manufacturing service suppliers could be the design help that they are able to present all through the method of growing the product. Providers equivalent to electronics design and printed circuit board structure design, element choice and procurement course of with help in multi-sourcing elements, enclosure design, mechanical packaging design, and offering manufacturing functionality from prototyping to low quantity to excessive quantity might all be of immense assist to you. As well as, a contract electronics producer may present recommendations to enhance the manufacturability, decrease element prices, and enhance the product’s reliability. Make sure to have an applicable Non-Disclosure Settlement in place with any and all events which might be concerned on this course of to guard your mental property.
You need to additionally outline how will the manufactured product is to be examined and packaged. As soon as the product has been prototyped and examined efficiently, you will need to decide the amount of items to be manufactured for the preliminary manufacturing run and for quantity manufacturing ranges. You need to additionally perceive what number of ranges of distribution the product undergo (with every degree taking a reduce of the margins) earlier than it will get in entrance of a shopper to buy.
In case you are an inventor or have an awesome digital product thought, I do not wish to discourage you, however you could contemplate all of those actions and their related prices earlier than you decide to the hundreds of {dollars} of bills required for designing and prototyping your product thought. For example, you ought to be ready at a minimal to both carry out your self or to subcontract the completion of the next duties: